The agreement on the free movement of persons enables citizens from Switzerland and the EU member states to freely choose their place of work and place of domicile within the territories of the contracting parties

Switzerland and the EU are endeavouring to develop international standards in the field of tax policy: The agreement on the taxation of savings income and the agreement on the fight against fraud are significant milestones in this area of cooperation

The EU is Switzerland’s most important partner by far and effective cooperation is therefore vitally important and is governed by bilateral agreements. The Directorate for European Affairs (DEA) is the Swiss Confederation’s competence centre for dealing with European issues

Federal Councillor Didier Burhalter

Directorate of European Affairs DEA

The Directorate of European Affairs (DEA) is the competence centre within the federal administration for dealing with issues concerning Switzerland’s policy on the EU. The DEA analyses the European integration process and its consequences for Switzerland. It coordinates the federal government’s policy on the EU and provides information about Switzerland’s policy on Europe, as well as European integration in general.